Jockeys are accused of poor judgment every day, at every track, in nearly every race. Just ask trainer Bobby Frankel about Alex Solis’s ride on Aptitude in the Belmont Stakes.

But unless they cause interference, jockeys rarely are punished by the stewards for a bad ride.

That’s why Diane Nelson is livid about being fined $500 for “poor judgment” last Friday at Monmouth Park aboard The Mighty Atom, who finished third at 3-5 in the third race.

Riding to the instructions of trainer Bob Klesaris, Nelson took The Mighty Atom back off the pace, then rallied in the stretch. The Monmouth stewards – deluged with complaints from the press and other bettors – said Nelson was too far back, moved too late, and slapped her with the fine.

“I agree I rode a bad race,” Nelson said yesterday at Belmont, steam rising from her ears. “But I didn’t purposely ride a bad race. The horse finished third. It wasn’t like he was totally pulled up, out of the race for no reason.

“I was told emphatically the horse may try to run off with me and to make sure he doesn’t go head to head for the lead. The horse broke sharp, and at that point I did panic and really grabbed him. I dropped way out of it. They’re flying on the front end and all of a sudden I’m last.

“It wasn’t the way I expected the race to go, but I’m not overreacting. I didn’t rush him up. That would have been worse. Then I turned for home, took my stick, and he made a run.

“If I’d had this horse closer he probably would have won. (But) I don’t gamble. I didn’t even know he was 3-5 until after the fact. Yeah, I messed up, but it wasn’t that bad.”

Nelson was surprised when the stewards chastised her for the ride, “and I was more shocked when they made it a ruling and a fine. They were yelling at me. Then they said they were being lenient. I’m like, what are you accusing me of? They said ‘we’re not, we just think you used poor judgment.’

“I said ‘then you’re agreeing I didn’t do anything that bad.’ Which goes back to my point. You’re fining riders for using bad judgment? That happens all the time. So the phone calls control their judgment? If this horse was 20-1, nobody would have said anything.”

Nelson decided not to appeal, worried the stewards would impose a stricter penalty. “So I lose either way,” she said.

Klesaris confirmed Nelson’s account, saying, “I think (the fine) is unjust. I’ve seen plenty of riders use bad judgment and nobody said anything. Diane’s reputation is as upstanding as anyone’s, and I can’t believe they went after her to make a point. She’s getting negative publicity for something I told her to do.”

Sam Boulmetis, the head steward at Monmouth, defended the ruling.

“Bob was very unhappy with her ride,” he said. “He told her to take back off the pace, but she was 10 lengths off the last horse.

“This horse was 3-5. We expect a better performance than that. You cannot believe all the complaints we had to field.”

Boulmetis said there was no implication that Nelson “pulled” The Mighty Atom, losing on purpose.

“If we thought she did that, she’d be getting days. But if we just sit here and do nothing, the public will lose confidence, and we can’t afford that.”

There are bad rides every day, Boulmetis admitted, “but not quite this bad. This was unusual. Look at the replay and then you’ll understand why.”

But strangely enough, the third was the only race on the card not available on the Monmouth replay system.